Fruit-picker.



No. 772,275. PATENTED OCT. 11, 1904.

B. J. DOWNING.

FRUIT PIGKER.

APPLICATION FILED 1150.31, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented October 11, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRUIT-PICKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,27 5, dated October 11, 1904. Application filed December 31,1903. Serial ITO-187,344. (No model.)

1'0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BURTON J. DOWNING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manzanola, in the county of Otero and State of Colorado, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Fruit-Pickers, of which the following is a specification.-

My invention is designed especially for use as a cherry-clipper, but can be used equally as well in gathering other small fruits, such as grapes, clusters of berries, &c.

The object is a device of this kind which can be readily held in the hand, which can be closed by a simple movement of the hand, and will open automatically as soon aspressure is released. a

My invention consists of the novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter pointed out and claimed, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device attached to a receptacle for holding the gathered fruit. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the device. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, the receptacle being removed. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 l of Fig. 2.

In constructing my improved device I employ two cuttin geblades A, tapering to points and having their inner edges oppositely beveled to form cooperating cutting edges, as shown at A. Intermediate their ends these blades are slightly bent or angled, as shown at A The marginal portions of the non beveled or outer edges are bent downwardly, forming depending flanges B. The blades A overlap at their rear ends and are pivoted together. A spring O has one of its ends secured to the inner side of one of the flanges B and is then carried rearwardly and coiled around the pivotal point and thence carried forwardly along the opposite blade and secured at its remaining end to the other flange B, as is clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The

free ends of the spring bear outwardly against the flanges B and tend to normally hold the pointed non-pivoted ends of the blades apart. When the blades are closed by pressure of the hand, the cutting edge A of one blade slides upon the other blade and adjacent the point contacts with the flange B of the said blade, thus limiting the closing movement of the blades and preventing their crossing each other, The flanges are perforated, as shown at B, and a bag or sackD has its upper edges connected to the outer faces of the flanges by stitches which pass through the perforations. The spring C therefore not only holds the blades A open, but also holds open the mouth of the bag, which is closed by the closure of the blades.

The device requires no handle, but is grasped by the hand, the thumb pressing on the outer face of one of the flanges and the first finger bearing on the opposite flange. The flanges are of a suflicient width to enable the device to be held firmly and gripped together with considerable pressure without cutting into the hand, as would be the case with blades having narrow backs.

BURTON J. DOWNING.-

Witnesses:

WILLIAM L. CLTNE, J. W. BOWMAN. 

